The invention relates to a clip-applying apparatus for laparoscopic surgical operations, whereby the clips made from a bendable filamentary material, are brought with the help of the apparatus into a closed shape, firmly clamping the tissue located therebetween.
According to known art, clip-applying apparatuses are described which consists of a tube-like system at a distal end of which a clip-holding and clip-shaping mechanism is located, while the other, proximal end displays an actuation mechanism.
The distal end of the clip-applying apparatus is introduced into the patient's abdominal cavity through a cannula and positioned at the vessel to be tied. Through pressure on the actuation mechanism, the shaping of ligature clip, and thus the clamping of the vessel is effected, via the tube-like system.
According to the art, endoscopic apparatuses for the introduction of ligature clips and staples are also known. With such apparatuses, the distal end is of forcipate design for the reception and shaping of the staple. With the actuation mechanism located at the proximal end of the apparatus, the distal end is guided into the application area, the staple is laid around the vessel to be clamped and shaped by means of the forcipate system until the vessel is completely clamped.
The staples used according to the known prior art correspond largely in their shape to the form of office staples. With modern minimally invasive operation techniques, surgical staples are used which are guided by means of a clip-inducing apparatus through a cannula to the operation are in the body. Since, with the apparatuses described, the staples carried along by the induction apparatus are advanced with the rectilinear crown or base side crosswise to the longitudinal axis of the cannula and the cannula customarily used has a limited opening for the guiding through of instruments with a diameter of 5 or 10 mm, limits are also set to the size of the staples. The disadvantage of the described technique is thus that only staples of relatively small basic length (and thus small circumference and small overall size) are usable in endoscopic operations through cannulae.
According to U.S. Ser. No. 08/059,147, a new type of surgical clip, the so-called "omega" clip, was therefore created with is introducible with an induction apparatus through a cannula with pre-set diameter and shapable into a closed shape with a greater circumference than conventional clips. This omega clip is not usable with conventional applier apparatuses.
It is therefore the object of the invention to create a clip or staple applying apparatus which has at its distal end a holding and shaping mechanism for omega clips, which is triggerable via an actuation mechanism located at the proximal end.